The fallout from that fatal January Houston drug raid continues, a New Hampshire pot legalization bill advances, so does a Florida bill to allow smokable medical marijuana, and more.

[image:1 align:left caption:true]Marijuana Policy

Illinois Governor Uses Budget Address to Call for Legalization. As he unveiled his first annual budget Wednesday, Gov. J,B. Pritzker called for marijuana legalization and taxation to help pay for $1.1 billion in new spending. He also called for the legalization and taxation of sports betting, as well as raising money with new taxes on plastic bags, e-cigs, and raising the cigarette tax.

New Hampshire Legalization Bill Narrowly Wins House Committee Vote. The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted 10-9 to recommend passage of HB 481, which would legalize up to an ounce for adults and create a system of taxed and regulated sales. Adults could also grow up to six plants. The narrow margin of victory in committee suggests a tough fight to pass it on the House floor.

Arizona House Committee Approves Bill to Protect Edibles, Extracts. The House Committee on Public Safety voted 5-2 Wednesday to approve HB 2149. The measure would specify that the 2010 voter-approved medical marijuana law also includes any products made from its resins. In a case pending before state courts, the state has argued that edibles and hashish are not included in the law.

North Dakota House Approves Civil Asset Forfeiture Bill. The House on Wednesday approved a civil asset forfeiture reform bill on a 57-33 vote. HB 1286 would not end civil asset forfeiture, but would raise the standard of proof from "a preponderance" of the evidence to "clear and compelling evidence." It would also require a criminal conviction before civil asset forfeiture could proceed. The bill now goes to the Senate, which defeated similar legislation in 2017.

Law Enforcement

Two House Republicans Urge State Department to Label Cartels as Terrorist Organizations. A pair of conservative House Republicans, Reps. Mark Green (TN) and Chip Roy (TX), sent a letter Wednesday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asking the State Department to label drug cartels as terrorist organizations. The proposal would "further stigmatize these groups both at home and abroad," the pair wrote. "These cartels have utilized barbaric tactics including those adopted by [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] ISIS and al Qaeda – murdering and torturing innocents, destabilizing countries and assassinating members of law enforcement," Green added in a statement. Drug cartels differ from terrorist organizations, though, in that they have no political agenda (other than being left alone to go about their business), a key component of the definition of terrorism.

FBI Opens Civil Rights Investigation into Deadly Houston Drug Raid. The FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into a January drug raid in Houston that left two people dead and five police officers wounded. The raid was based on falsified search warrant affidavits claiming informants had bought heroin at the house, but the homeowners, who were killed, possessed no heroin at all—only small, personal use amounts of marijuana and possibly cocaine. Fallout from the case has already resulted in one officer being suspended, an end to no-knock raids in the city, and the review of more than 1,400 cases linked to the lying officer.

A veterans' medical marijuana bill gets filed in Congress, and statehouses around the country are taking up the topic, too.

[image:1 align:left]National

House, Senate Bills to Give Vets Access to Medical Marijuana Filed. Legislators in both the House and Senate filed companion bills to make it legal under federal law for military veterans to "use, possess, or transport medical marijuana" in compliance with state laws. Sponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), the bill, known as The Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act, would block veterans who use medical marijuana under state laws from being harassed by federal officials and would clarify that VA doctors can recommend medical marijuana to their patients. The bill is not yet available on the congressional website, but the text is available here.

Arkansas

Arkansas Medical Marijuana Expansion Bill Dies. A bill that would have added 13 qualifying conditions to the state's medical marijuana law was killed last Wednesday after state health officials maintained the drug causes harm. More than a dozen people spoke in favor of HB 1150, to no avail.

Georgia

Georgia Bill Would Let Dispensaries Sell CBD Cannabis Oil. A bill filed last Thursday would fix the state's CBD cannabis oil law so that patients could actually obtain the drug. Under current state law, patients can use and possess it but have no legal means of obtaining it. HB 324 would allow for the sale of CBD cannabis oil to patients through dispensaries.

Missouri

Missouri Expungement Bill for Patients Advances. A bill that would let registered medical marijuana patients have their misdemeanor marijuana offenses expunged has been approved by the House Committee on Criminal Justice in a 7-2 vote. The measure, HB 341, has support in both chambers of the legislature and it is believed Gov. Mike Parsons (R) would sign it.

North Dakota House Approves Medical Marijuana Bill Package. The House on Monday approved a package of four bills amending the state’s medical marijuana law, including one that would add 13 new conditions to the state’s list of approved medical conditions. Another bill would allow physician assistants to recommend medical marijuana, while yet another would allow a patient or caregiver to purchase “an enhanced amount” of medical marijuana beyond the 2.5 ounces every 30 days limit. The last bill would add marijuana edibles to the list of medical marijuana products available for purchase. The package now heads for the Senate.

West Virginia

West Virginia House Passes Medical Marijuana Banking Bill. The House passed a medical marijuana banking bill with no debate and no floor speeches last Friday. The measure, HB 2538, creates two state funds, one to received license fees, penalties, and taxes associated with the medical marijuana program, and the other to receive all fees charged to the financial institution by the treasurer. The vote was 89-7. The bill now heads to the Senate.

Maryland General Assembly Creates Legalization Working Group. In a sign that marijuana legalization isn’t going to happen this year, the General Assembly has created a working group to study the issue. The bipartisan group will make recommendations in December that could be used to help guide bills during the 2020 legislative session.

Ohio Hemp Bill Filed. Lawmakers have filed a bill to legalize hemp production in the state, SB 77. The bill would align state law with the framework of the 2018 farm bill, which legalized hemp nationwide.

U.S. Supreme Court Unanimously Reins in Civil Asset Forfeiture. In a victory for proponents of civil asset forfeiture reform, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today in Timbs v. Indiana that the Eighth Amendment's Excessive Fines Clause applies to states, thereby prohibiting state and local governments from collecting excessive fines, fees and forfeitures. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion. "The protection against excessive fines guards against abuses of government’s punitive or criminal law-enforcement authority," Ginsburg wrote.

Law Enforcement

Denver Signs on to Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion. City officials unveiled a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) pilot program on Tuesday. The program is designed to connect people accused of low-level drug crimes with support services rather than arresting them. LEAD programs operate in a number of other cities, including Philadelphia, Portland, and Seattle. The pilot program is funded through 2020 by a $561,000 grant paid for out of the state's marijuana tax cash fund.

Houston Ends No-Knock Raids in Wake of Fatal Encounter. With few exceptions, Houston undercover officers will no longer conduct no-knock raids. The move comes after four police officers were wounded and a Houston couple killed in a raid that was based on a police officer's lies. "The no-knock warrants are going to go away like leaded gasoline in this city," Chief Art Acevedo announced during a town hall meeting Monday.

Marijuana is medicine
for millions of patients around the US.
Click here for medical marijuana news.
Federal opposition persists in spite of
successful medical marijuana programs in several states.
States, cities moving to allow medical use by those
in need.

The US Justice Department continues to stand between
patients and their medicine.
Click here to
meet some of the patients and read their stories, and learn
why this issue is so important.

The drug war lies on a foundation of myth. Learn the truth.
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The US Justice Department is pressing forward with an aggressive
campaign to prosecute medical marijuana offenders in spite of
California's medical marijuana law (Prop 215)
and in defiance of efforts by local officials to support legal medicine for patients.
Targets have included prominent medical marijuana patients
groups, caregivers, and individual patients attempting to grow
medicine for themselves....
Click here for more.

Philadelphia Daily News, 18 Dec 2018 - Philadelphia stands to gain at least two new medical marijuana stores while Reading scored three more dispensaries with the awarding of permits Tuesday morning by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. MLH Explorations LLC, a cannabis company aligned with Thomas Jefferson University, won a permit to operate a retail outlet at 8th and Locust Streets. The retail outlet will do business as Solterra Care - Locust Street.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, 05 Dec 2018 - As dozens of states move toward legalizing marijuana -- for both medical and recreational purposes -- scientists and parents have asked what the impact might be on children. Will more teens use pot? Will doing so cause behavioral problems? Will they develop a substance-use disorder? According to a new study published last month in the journal Addiction: yes, probably not, and maybe.

Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 09 Sep 2018 - BOSTON - A handful of the marijuana businesses granted provisional licenses have informed the Cannabis Control Commission they are ready to be inspected, one of the final steps before retail sales of marijuana, approved by voters almost two years ago, can begin. CCC Chairman Steven Hoffman said late last week the agency is working to schedule inspections for two or three provisionally licensed businesses. Hoffman said the inspections are expected to take place "over the next week, plus or minus."

Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 10 Sep 2018 - Six days after confirming approval of medical marijuana dispensary bans in Northboro and Bellingham, Attorney General Maura Healey's office reversed its decision. In an Aug. 25 Telegram & Gazette story, a spokesperson for the AG's office confirmed that the office in June approved bylaws passed in the two towns that ban medical marijuana dispensaries. The 2012 Medical Marijuana law originally prohibited any municipality from banning medical marijuana dispensaries. An AG spokeswoman said at the time the approval was based on Section 56 (subsection d) of Chapter 55 Acts of 2017.

Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 07 Sep 2018 - SARASOTA -- Several panelists made their cases in a Thursday forum for why marijuana should no longer be classified by the federal government as a Schedule 1 drug as dangerous as heroin. The program focused on the Herald-Tribune project "Warriors Rise Up," which found a gaping rift between what many combat veterans want to treat their post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries and what they can legally get.

Chicago Tribune, 06 Sep 2018 - PATIENTS: 'WE ARE THRILLED' Medical pot sellers in the north suburbs are lauding a new Illinois law that will eventually allow patients who might be prescribed an opioid-based painkiller to qualify for medical marijuana as an alternative.

Philadelphia Daily News, 27 Jul 2018 - NEXT WEEK Medical marijuana dispensaries in Pennsylvania are bracing for a surge in new customers when vaporizable "flower" -- the most popular and recognizable form of cannabis -- goes on sale on Wednesday, Aug. 1.

Los Angeles Times, 29 Jul 2018 - An LDS missionary passes by the Salt Lake Temple at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Voters this fall in Utah will cast ballots on a measure that would allow medical marijuana. (Isaac Hale / For The Times) Brian Stoll faced a dilemma as his wedding day approached. For more than a year, he had been smoking marijuana to treat severe back pain, but to remain in good standing with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and get married in the temple, he had to stop using pot.

Philadelphia Daily News, 25 Jul 2018 - Despite limited evidence, Americans have an increasingly positive view of the health benefits of marijuana. Nearly two-thirds believe pot can reduce pain, while close to half say it improves symptoms of anxiety, depression, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis, according to a new online survey of 9,003 adults. Pennsylvania and New Jersey are among the 30 states, along with the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico, that have legalized medical marijuana. But scientists say hard data on the health effects of pot -- both positive and negative -- are largely missing. Because marijuana is considered an illicit drug by the federal government, research has been scant, though there are efforts underway in Pennsylvania and nationally to remedy that.

Medical Marijuana

Since 1996, ten states have legalized medical
marijuana use: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ME, NV, OR, VT and WA. Eight of
the ten did so through the initiative process, Hawaii's law was enacted by
the legislature and signed by the governor in 2000, and Vermont's
was enacted by the legislature and passed into law without the
governor's signature in May 2004.

The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report on medical
marijuana stated, "The accumulated data indicate a potential
therapeutic value for cannabinoid drugs, particularly for symptoms
such as pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite
stimulation."

The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report on
medical marijuana examined the question whether the medical
use of marijuana would lead to an increase of marijuana use
in the general population and concluded that, "At this
point there are no convincing data to support this concern.
The existing data are consistent with the idea that this would
not be a problem if the medical use of marijuana were as closely
regulated as other medications with abuse potential." The report
also noted that, "this question is beyond the issues normally
considered for medical uses of drugs, and should not be a factor
in evaluating the therapeutic potential of marijuana or
cannabinoids."

In the Institute of Medicine's report on medical
marijuana, the researchers examined the physiological risks of using
marijuana and cautioned, "Marijuana is not a completely
benign substance. It is a powerful drug with a variety of effects.
However, except for the harms associated with smoking, the adverse
effects of marijuana use are within the range of effects tolerated
for other medications."

The Institute of Medicine's 1999 report on medical
marijuana examined the question of whether marijuana could
diminish patients' immune system - an important question when
considering marijuana use by AIDS and cancer patients. The report
concluded that, "the short-term immunosuppressive effects
are not well established but, if they exist, are not likely great
enough to preclude a legitimate medical use."

"Conclusions: Smoked and oral cannabinoids did not seem to be
unsafe in people with HIV infection with respect to HIV RNA
levels, CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts, or protease inhibitor levels
over a 21-day treatment."

"This study provides evidence that short-term use of
cannabinoids, either oral or smoked, does not substantially
elevate viral load in individuals with HIV infection who
are receiving stable antiretroviral regimens containing nelfinavir
or indinavir. Upper confidence bounds for all estimated
effects of cannabinoids on HIV RNA level from all
analyses were no greater than an increase of 0.23 log10
copies/mL compared with placebo. Because this study was
randomized and analyses were controlled for all known
potential confounders, it is very unlikely that chance imbalance
on any known or unknown covariate masked a
harmful effect of cannabinoids. Study participants in all
groups may have been expected to benefit from the equivalent
of directly observed antiretroviral therapy, as well as
decreased stress and, for some, improved nutrition over the
25-day inpatient stay."

"Nevertheless, when considering all 15 studies (i.e., those
that met both strict and more relaxed criteria) we only noted that regular cannabis users performed worse on memory tests, but that the magnitude of the effect was very small. The small magnitude of
effect sizes from observations of chronic users of cannabis
suggests that cannabis compounds, if found to have therapeutic
value, should have a good margin of safety from a neurocognitive
standpoint under the more limited conditions of exposure that
would likely obtain in a medical setting."

Organizations that have endorsed medical access to
marijuana include: the Institute of Medicine, the American
Academy of Family Physicians; American Bar Association; American
Public Health Association; American Society of Addiction Medicine;
AIDS Action Council; British Medical Association; California Academy
of Family Physicians; California Legislative Council for
Older Americans; California Medical Association; California
Nurses Association; California Pharmacists Association;
California Society of Addiction Medicine; California-Pacific
Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church; Colorado
Nurses Association; Consumer Reports Magazine; Kaiser
Permanente; Lymphoma Foundation of America; Multiple
Sclerosis California Action Network; National Association of
Attorneys General; National Association of People
with AIDS; National Nurses Society on Addictions; New
Mexico Nurses Association; New York State Nurses Association;
New England Journal of Medicine; and Virginia Nurses Association.

A few of the editorial boards that have endorsed
medical access to marijuana include: Boston Globe;
Chicago Tribune; Miami Herald; New York Times;
Orange County Register; and USA Today.

Many organizations have favorable positions
(e.g., unimpeded research) on medical marijuana.
These groups include: The Institute of Medicine, The
American Cancer Society; American Medical Association;
Australian Commonwealth Department of Human Services
and Health; California Medical Association; Federation of
American Scientists; Florida Medical Association; and
the National Academy of Sciences.

The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 established
five categories, or "schedules," into which all illicit
and prescription drugs were placed. Marijuana was placed
in Schedule I, which defines the substance as having a
high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use
in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under
medical supervision. To contrast, over 90 published reports
and studies have shown marijuana has medical efficacy.

On September 6, 1988, the Drug Enforcement
Administration's Chief Administrative Law Judge, Francis L.
Young, ruled:
"Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest
therapeutically active substances known....[T]he provisions of
the [Controlled Substances] Act permit and require the
transfer of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II.
It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for the
DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits
of this substance."

The DEA's Administrative Law Judge,
Francis Young concluded: "In strict medical terms
marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume.
For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response.
By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough
marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one
of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.
By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used
within the supervised routine of medical care."